Saturday, April 1, 2017

Teacher guilty of Northumberland County sex crimes released from jail

They laughed at me in the academy.

NORTHUMBERLAND — A former teacher and convicted child predator who was recently sentenced to six months in jail is no longer behind bars.

Matthew Dale Palmer, 49, who now lives in the Owen Sound area, was found guilty by a jury on Oct. 21 of sexually exploiting a local teenager on seven occasions from 1996 to 1999, beginning when the girl was 14. He lived in Northumberland County at the time of the offences and was a youth leader at the girl’s local church.

Palmer was sentenced to six months in jail and 18 months probation on Feb. 22.

Northumberland News has learned Palmer is no longer in custody, according to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

“The ministry can confirm that there are no inmates named Matthew Dale Palmer in provincial custody,” spokesperson Andrew Morrison said in an email.

The ministry could not clarify the reason for his early release. (more...)